Wilderness, Oudtshoorn and Mossel Bay

It's been an active few days involving long hikes and longer cycle rides. Plus some rather interesting conversations...

The last thing I would say before we get into it is that Wilderness gave me a lot of time to reflect as I chose to be alone for most of the time - I think I had a case of 'new people overload'. During this time I had a couple of what I'm going to call 'travel epiphanies'. 

1) If you have a connection with someone - be it friendship or more, chase it down. Don't be afraid to say, hey wanna swap details, even if you've just met? The chances are they are probably thinking the same thing and you could end up being good mates and good friends can be hard to find, which brings me onto...

2) I'm discovering that I don't like everyone, I've just, quite subconsciously, chosen the people I hang out with up to this point to suit my own likings. Though I am very flexible and accommodating, I've realized that I don't need to bend myself out of shape to accept someone who is fundamentally not good for me. Now that sounds quite serious, but I think what I mean is that I don't need to put up with people who are rude, or negative in their outlook. If it might actually kill someone to smile once in a while, I don't need to hang out with them or try to understand them. They are them, I am me and we can quite happily go our own ways.

Wilderness

So Wilderness was OK, as a place it has a nice beach and an few shops. I had a great night with a group of international students studying at Cape Town University, who invited me to dinner, which then became drinks where I met this painter, sculptor and carpenter called Neil, along with his wife and his mother, plus his dog Joy, who was the cutest! Our now extended group then headed back to the backpackers where everyone (especially me) got drunk. At one point a dog attacked Joy and I heard her whining in pain from across the bar an went running over. I gave her big hugs and she threw her head on my shoulder and calmed down - this was the moment that tipped the balance and made me a dog (and cat) person. I then made friends with a bunch of Germans and the night ended with some bloke trying to convince me and another guy to have a threesome, that's when I went to my own bed alone!

The rest of the trip was fairly uneventful. I went paragliding with a girl that I met. It was nice being up there, very peaceful, though I didn't like how the instructor kept forcefully hitting on the girl I had come with, but as she didn't mind I didn't say anything. If it had been one of my friends I would have gone into full protective mode for sure!

I also did a local hike twice which was paved for most of the way (so actually just walking), though I did take a harder non-paved route up a mountain which was actually hiking.

That was about it really, the beach house where I stayed was very nice and the view of the beach from the bedrooms was amazing! Though you had to pay for WiFi and it didn't come cheap...

Oudtshoorn

I love this place and specifically the Paradise and Joyrides backpackers! It's such a great place and the staff make it so much better. Plus free WiFi and ostrich egg in the morning (not whole ones, have you seen an ostrich egg?!).

I arrived and immediately hit it off with Petra an Greg at the check in desk and got to my dorm which was nice and all mine for my entire trip. At one point three mini busses turned up and they still had enough room to give me a dorm to myself!

The atmosphere is laid back and I'd suggest trying the cinnamon rolls, they're cooked daily. Petra insisted I had it warmed through and was she ever right! Dangerous NOM!

The next day I took on the backpackers most challenging tour by myself. 54km of cycling from the top of the mountain range (oudtshoorn is inland, mountainous and arid), to the backpacker, taking in the Congo caves and an ostrich farm on the way. 

The caves were magnificent and very tight in some places - not for the claustrophobic at all. That being said it wasn't overly challenging to do the avdenture tour and the cold and dark was a welcome break from the dry heat on land.

The Ostritch farm was great and I got to sit on an Ostritch, though you'll see from the picture I more held myself over it as I was worried I might be too heavy for it. I also fed the ostriches. They really pinch if you're not careful! 

I also ate there, ostrich of course. It's weird that the meat is more like stead or venison than chicken or turkey given that ostrich mean is lean and poultry.

The final leg of my journey to the hostel was the hardest as the wind was relentless and all the down hill elements were behind me. I was mess by the time I got back, but everyone at the hostel congratulated me. It was a really nice feeling.

What also made my time at Oudtshoorn great was the company. I met a very inspiring couple from the UK in their fifties (Hi Barry and Sarah if you're reading) who invited me to join their table when I walked into the eating area looking a bit lost. These guys are travel masters and certainly got me thinking about more travel destinations and much more besides as we discussed various topics  over the course of my stay. 

I think that the only thing left to tell you is that the music in Paradise backpackers is amazing! By day they play really cool, relaxed remixes of artists like CSS and Doves alongside Garbage and Lamb. By night they played Bowie and The Stones! Amazing.

And on that note, I think I've come to the end of this blog. Hope you enjoyed. As alway please comment, share, etc. it gives me joy to see that someone is reading this :)

Mossel Bay

My final stop before Cape Town was Mossel Bay. I have to say, after hearing so many good things about the place, I was a little underwhelmed. It didn't help that it rained most of the time I was there. I did stay on a converted train, which was fun and the woman at the check-in desk said I was very handsome, something she then shared with the 'carriage', embarrassing, but I'm not complaining!

I think people love it because it's their first taste of South Aftica outside of Cape Town, but to be honest the town is nonexistent and the beaches in Transkei are much better. If you just want to chill on the beach it's a good spot though.

Storms River and The Crags

 

This section of my journey has been fairly idilic at times and adrenaline fueled at others having taken in amazing hikes and the world's largest commercial bungee jump.

The Crags

I started in the Wild Spirit backpackers, which I had been referred to by a lot of people. It's an amazing backpackers with a brilliant view of the surrounding mountains.

After arriving I was soon onto the area's main attraction. The Bloukrans bungee jump is the tallest commercial bungee jump in the world at over 216 meters. Having sky dived and bungeed before I thought I would be cool and pull my best James Bond impression as I threw myself off the bridge. However, when you look over the edge, that bravado seems to disappear. The team are really good at getting you over and I did the jump. In total you fall about 185 meters and its a weird experience. My mind couldn't really comprehend what was happening at first and everything seemed to slow down and then it all came hurtling toward me. The strangest part was the hanging once it was done, you're all full of adrenaline and then you just have to hang there. I was convinced my feet were going to slip through, but apparently this is normal. I'm glad I did it!

The rest of my stay involved a lot of hiking, which I am loving. I've been trying to do as much as possible as its great fun and good exercise. During the hike (which is free including our rather full shuttle), we (pic below L to R: two Danish girls, Irene, me and Dom) saw a huge variety of landscapes and an amazing lagoon, though the most memorable sight has to be a dead jellyfish being eaten by these weird snails, that was just plain odd.

Storms River

After a couple of days I then went to Storms River to meet up with a friend and ended up bumping into an English doctor called Sarah (hi Sarah). We soon became firm friends and spent the rest of the trip together. We hiked the Tsitsikamma park together which was stunning, the suspension bridge is fun and jumping from rock to rock along the beach is brilliant. We also met a guy called Ruben and explored a cave where we came up close and personal with a tiny and very cute bat :).

The best bit had to be the waterfall though. The water itself is brown as it had been dyed by the local plants, so swimming in the pool was like being in a big cup of black tea. Also the water was hot in some places and freezing in others as the water from the fall mixed with that of the pool - It's a unique experience.

Sarah an I also did a canopy zip line tour which was a little less thrilling after the bungee jump, but still a great way to see the first from a different angle.

I'm now in Wilderness, but I'll tell you about that another time :)

South Africa - Transkei

Transkei, I loved this area of South Africa. It's easy to understand why they call it the wild coast. The scenery is dramatic, with the sea rushing up against the jagged rocks that sit between the bay's and lagoons. It's also wild in another way, it's a lot less developed than the rest of the coast, which a is a fantastic thing. There's a big emphasis on Eco-living and living with the local community. As such some of the backpackers don't have electricity or running water outside of the main buildings - this is a good thing. 

Transkei roughly translates to across the Kei, referring to the Great Kei River, which in turn got its name for the Dutch for rocky, as the bed of the river is indeed, rocky. 

I started my adventure in the Mdumbi backpackers, which was nice but as the weather wasn't great there wasn't a lot to do. However I made friends with Simon, a German stone mason and tattoo artist and Neinke, a photography student from Cape Town. We soon formed a little group and headed to Coffee Bay and the Coffee Shack backpackers which is great if you want to socialise, which we did and got very drunk. On a side note we had great pizza at Pappazella's - so I'd suggest you check that out if you're there.

We were only there the night and the next day Simon suggested I come with him to another backpackers called The Kraal where i could see Dolphins. Unfortunately Nienke had to make her own way and we parted at Mthatha, the central point for most of the Transkei backpackers. 

From Mthatha we took local transport and hitched a lift of a local coach. This got us to Issamella which wasn't as far as we needed to go. Luckily Simon knew two of the doctors there Zo and Tali, who are awesome!! They invited me to stay the night and said I should come camping with them to Dwesa national park in the morning. 

This was a fantastic detour and I got to know the girls well. Zo even gave me her sister's number so I could look her up in Cape Town... How nice is that!! 

Tali then introduced us to her friends (I hope I remember them all) Ash, Kirsten, Debbi, Danny and Rachael. They all fed me G&T and we hung out and listened to Ash's great music while she cooked and awesome braai (my first). The next day Zo and I woke up for sunrise which was spectacular and I read my books - Garth Nix's The Old Kingdom trilogy. Later that day Zo drove Simon and I to The Kraal.

The Kraal is amazing, I did loads of things for the first time. I walked through herds of cows, petted donkeys on the beach, saw tonnes of dolphins, stood on the back of a pick up truck, bought seafood from a local fisherman, drew a tattoo stencil... And much more besides, all while soaking up the beautiful sunshine and relaxing on the beautiful coastline. 

I also bumped into Simone (yes it was me, Simon and Simone hanging out for a while), who I had met on the Baz Bus and who was going to visit her relatives in Storms River. We took Wasabi, my favourite dog from the backpackers on a walk to the next bay and she very kindly offered to make me a braai when I go to Storms River, so I'm looking forward to that. It will be a good way to celebrate having completed the Bloukrans Bungee jump, the highest bridge jump in the world!! 

Wish me luck,